Do rocks speak? A Native American story

I have a propensity for rocks and stones like many people. they are fascinating. And if you think about it, fascination is strange. There are so many rocks and stones and most of them look very similar, but we can find a “special” rock in a pile of identical stones. Do rocks and stones communicate with us? Some of us will say “Yes, of course” and others will say “No, it’s impossible”. The following is what I found to be a basis for my belief.

If you have been exposed to the modern Lakota language, you know that the Creator term is Wakan Tanka, which means “Great Mystery.” But originally the term was Tunkasila (very old rock).

When Christian missionaries came among the people, they were called by our use of “very old rock” as a term for God. They thought this was idol worship. They did not understand that we were not praying to the rocks as God, we were using an analogy. Much dissension was caused by the use of this word. So people decided to change to Wakan Tanka (Great Mystery), a term Christians might feel more comfortable with.

We change our language to keep the peace. It is very sad that this has happened. The ancient rock is a wonderful analogy for the Creator. As they explained to me, rocks are the oldest living things on earth. They were here first and have a lot of wisdom and knowledge because of this.

So when we find that special rock in the middle of a pile of similar ones, is it speaking to us? I think so.

PS There is a museum in South Dakota where big round rocks move on their own. The curators placed them in the sand so that we could see the trace of their movement. As far as I know, there is no scientific explanation for this.